Egon Doppenberg, MD, is a neurosurgeon and physician advisor with Lumere.

In a recent interview with Becker’s Spine Review, Dr. Doppenberg talked about the evolution of spine surgery and new advancements in minimally invasive surgery.

Question: How has minimally invasive spine surgery developed/advanced in the past five years?

Dr. Egon Doppenberg: The basic equipment needed to perform minimally invasive surgery has undergone technical refinements and surgeons now have better retractors and other tools to perform minimally invasive surgery. Additionally, oblique lumbar interbody fusion has emerged to provide more minimally invasive anterior access to the lumbar spine. Finally, robotics and navigation are starting to be used more and more.